In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series weekly on UFC Fight Pass. As with the earlier web series Looking for a Fight, the goal of the series is for White to scout talent for the UFC.[1][2] Similar to The Ultimate Fighter none of the fighters involved will have existing UFC contracts. Licensed separately from the UFC with Dana White applying for a promoter's licence, it was stated ahead of the license being approved that “this is not the UFC, this is not the UFC brand, but instead a promotion that will allow up and coming fighters the chance to showcase their talents in hopes that one day they may compete in the UFC."[3]

The inaugural event took take place on July 11, 2017 at the UFC's home base of Las Vegas.[4][5]